40
the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the
ongoing automation of traditional
manufacturing and industrial practic-
es, using modern smart technology.
Large-scale machine-to-machine com-
munication and the Internet of Things
are integrated for increased automa-
tion, improved communication and
self-monitoring, while smart machines
can analyse and diagnose issues with-
out the need for human intervention.
Or, as Atterby puts it, ‘End use pro-
duced more economically and to a
higher specification.’
He is not alone in believing the coro-
navirus as an opportunity as well as a
blight, accelerating trends and chang-
es already underway. An example is
the growing awareness in business of
the need for sustainability and finding
solutions that show serious commit-
ment rather than ‘greenwash’. One
element of that is the growing
demand for recycled content in new
products, almost certainly aided by
the proposed introduction across
Europe of taxes to drive recycling. The
UK, despite leaving the EU, has also
committed to such fiscal policies.
RPC, says Graham, would be backing
recycled content anyway ‘but the fact
the legislative landscape is changing
makes it easier for us to get the fund-
ing we need from the business.’
Atterby sees recycled polymers as
being increasingly de-coupled from
the prime market because of ‘growing
awareness from manufacturers that
consumers want more environmentally
sound products’.
Invest to succeed
The winners, he argues, will be those
who invest in innovation and the
future, despite the financial grip of
Covid-19. ‘We are continuing with our
apprenticeship programme: if it went,
it would take us seven to 10 years to
put back in place a succession plan for
future development.’
This is not just ‘good-to-have’, it
makes real business sense. As TRC’s
Miles insists, ‘Everything we do is
undertaken when someone tells us
they want to be more efficient and to
make more profit. That’s a key differ-
entiator’.
And the final word on AI goes to
Atterby: ‘This is an exciting new field
only restricted by the way you think.’
Luxus has
operated from
its facility in
Louth for five
decades.
Luxus has its own R&D lab.
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